Beyond the Sea
by LawliPop
Summary: No matter the different paths life took them, they would always carry a piece of each other. [Sequel to 'Curiosity' and 'If Only']


_**Lawli:** _You asked for it, you got it. Part three of the mermaid AU, sequel to both "Curiosity" and "If Only". I don't want to tell you what to do, but you should probably read at least "If Only" in order for this to make more sense.

No smut in this one. Sorry, hornballs.

Detailed notes at the end of the story.

_**Warnings**: implied RinHaru_

* * *

_There's something in the water._

The root of his fear stemmed from that simple belief.

Despite how often he'd tried and how many people he attempted to convey this to, he could never give a name to what that something might be, only chillingly swore he felt its presence whenever he breached the ocean's shore. Now he had a clearer image, though he couldn't say he was afraid of the discovery he'd made exactly one night ago. There were things about it that frightened him, surely, things that he would never get explanations for to rationalize in his mind – but Haruka did not scare him, and so perhaps this would be Makoto's first step in conquering his lifelong fear.

In the dead of night, Makoto crept through the deserted streets of Iwatobi with the merman in his arms. A wet bed sheet wrapped around the slender hips barely concealed the tail and frilled fins. He waded into the shallow water, disregarding the gooseflesh raising on his arms, and lowered Haruka into the waves. Slowly he unwound the sheet, and the merman gave an experimental flick of his tail.

Watching him swim was an almost cathartic experience. Haruka moved with such ease, as if he were truly one with the water. Each swish of his tail overflowed with grace, the water parting happily under the crest of his arms. He dipped below the waves and surfaced again while barely making a sound. The ocean accepted him wholeheartedly, bending to his will. When there was a splash, it was of Haruka's own design: a jump from the water, or a gentle spray as Haruka shook his hair out.

"You're home now," Makoto said, smiling, and for the first time Haruka looked back at him.

He swam over to Makoto, sliding his tail through the gap in Makoto's legs. A friendly whistle accompanied the hand he held out in invitation. His blue eyes shone with great intelligence and secrets of a world Makoto still could hardly fathom. He wondered how old the creature was.

"I can't go with you." They both knew it. If Makoto had any sense he would leave now. Staying any longer would only invite more pain, and this was hard enough as it was. Haruka was home among the waves, and Makoto had always known that this was where they would part. Where he'd made his discovery so too must he let it go.

Haruka tilted his head to the side, and wet bangs fell into his eyes. He grabbed Makoto's hand and pulled gently. Makoto shook his head. The merman tugged again, a little harder this time.

"Swim," he urged.

It still thrilled to hear him speak, but what Haruka requested Makoto could not give him. He started to back away. "Oh, no." He freed his hand from the merman's, but Haruka just grabbed the hem of his shirt instead. "I don't swim. I don't know how." His fear of the water claimed him at a very young age, making swimming lessons as a child impossible. As a result, he'd never learned.

The merman huffed. Before Makoto could say anything more he dove back under the waves, and when several minutes ticked by and he didn't resurface, Makoto assumed he'd left. For some reason, the idea made his heart throb. Though really, what did he expect? They weren't the same. Despite what happened in the bath, their intimate coupling, Haruka did not share Makoto's sentimentality. It wasn't as if Makoto had really nursed him back to health or anything. Haruka owed him nothing.

Still, it hurt.

The way Haruka kissed him – how he'd opened himself up for Makoto, letting Makoto see a part he didn't think any other human ever had the privilege to – and afterwards, how they'd lain together with their hands on each other's hearts... Perhaps Makoto was just a romantic idiot, but he'd thought it meant something.

Heaving a sigh, Makoto turned to trudge back to the shore.

Something grabbed his ankle.

Makoto yelped, arms flailing as he crashed into the shallow water. His heart continued to race even as a familiar dark head poked out from the waves. Haruka swam up between his legs, arms going to rest on either side of Makoto's waist. "H-Haruka-" He tried to laugh it off, because the twinkle in Haruka's blue eyes was nothing more than playful, but found himself still a bit too shaken up to do so.

Haruka pushed his nose against Makoto's knee, nuzzling gently before nipping at the skin. That did earn a smile. Makoto reached out for him and Haruka eased himself closer to fit in the opening provided by Makoto's arms.

They sat like that for a long while, Haruka's back to Makoto's chest, Makoto soaking in every small detail of his perfect discovery. He combed his fingers through Haruka's hair - leaving small kisses at his nape - and traced down Haruka's arms to squeeze his curious webbed fingers. Every so often Haruka's tail broke the water's surface in a leisurely swish, as they basked in the feel of each other and delayed the inevitable.

A low whistle in the distance caught Haruka's attention. He sat up quickly, blue eyes wide, and waited. Makoto blinked at the unusual stillness of the merman's body. The whistle came again, followed by a short series of clicks, and Haruka trembled.

Haruka released a single, shrill whistle so high Makoto winced. He repeated several times as he glanced between Makoto and the horizon, and the way his tail flicked back and forth reminded Makoto of an eager kitten. When Makoto released him, Haruka zealously sprang forward, leaping beneath the waves and swimming out a distance. Makoto stood, trying to track the merman's progress, but even with the aide of a full moon he couldn't see clearly enough.

A large splash from the left caught his attention, Makoto shifting his focus just in time to catch sight of Haruka's iridescent purple tail before the merman was pushed back under the surface by a larger predator.

"Haruka!" Without a second thought Makoto rushed forward, protective instincts flaring. A lunate fin breached the surface, reflecting the moonlight, and Makoto followed it.

The sharp whistle identical to the one he'd heard earlier echoed in the night air. Haruka did not sound particularly distressed – not like when he'd first awoken in Makoto's bathtub – but what else could it be but a call for help?

A high note, a low note, and a staccato click – Haruka's identification sound, but not in Haruka's voice. Makoto didn't know how he was able to differentiate as this whistle was only subtly deeper, but he could, and it only increased his panic.

_There's something in the water._

Makoto willed his spellbound legs to carry him out, trying to ignore the rapid fluttering of his heart that threatened to leap from his throat like a caged bird. Haruka was in danger; this was no time to let a childish fear paralyze him.

A silver arm burst from the water, and Makoto grabbed hold of it. "I've got you, Haruka!"

Makoto barely registered a flash of red before he was attacked, the air knocked from him by a swift blow to his midsection. He hit the water with surprising force and had a moment to realize the ironic connection to the nightmare that plagued him earlier in the day as the fuzzy reflection of the mood reached his eyes, and then sharp fangs sank into his calf.

_Shark_! Makoto's frazzled mind cried. He thrashed mindlessly against the hold, a torrent of bubbles rushing from his mouth as the teeth shredded his leg. _It's a shark!_ _I'm going to die!_

"Rin!" Haruka's voice was a dangerous growl.

The teeth were suddenly gone, something pushing Makoto to the surface. He breathed in sharply, chest heaving, tears mixing with the salt water dripping from his bangs. His leg throbbed. Two tails sliced through the air in powerful arcs – one the familiar purple belonging to Haruka, and the other a deep crimson that could pass for black under the night sky. Not a shark, after all, but still undeniably ferocious.

The two creatures tumbled through the waves, and this time Haruka finally managed to subdue the intruder. His blue eyes were bright but angry, and teeth were bared as he panted heavily. Even enraged, he was breathtakingly beautiful.

Another silver body appeared – a second merman, this one with a shock of red hair and snarling lips that did little to conceal teeth far longer and sharper in appearance than Haruka's.

The two clicked at each other, still very much in the heat of their fight. Makoto could only be grateful the physical aspect had ended. He swayed on his feet, which immediately captured Haruka's focus. In a flash the merman was at his side, hands in Makoto's. When he turned back to the redhead, he actually _hissed_.

The redhead swam closer, eyes raking disdainfully over Makoto. He puffed out his chest and rose a little taller from the water, as if exerting his dominance.

Haruka lashed out when he got too close. "_Makoto bi llo ffha."_

At those words, the second merman halted. His red eyes widened incredulously as he suddenly drew in a deep breath. There must have been some kind of scent in the air detectable only by the mermen, to make the redhead jerk back in alarm. "_Lle ffha..." _He shook his head in stubborn refusal and reached out again, but Haruka curled protectively against Makoto, tail wrapping around Makoto's leg and brushing against the raw bite mark.

Makoto gasped as a fresh current of pain washed over him. Haruka's eyes softened and he cooed mournfully. He shifted his arms around Makoto until he could hold on to him properly and swam him easily back to the shallows. When the sand pillowed his body at the shoreline, Makoto was laid out and his injured leg lifted for inspection.

The bite was not as bad as Makoto initially believed, but the teeth marks sunk quite deep. If left unattended, Makoto knew there would be serious threat of infection. Haruka surveyed the wound, frowning deeply. Whatever medical knowledge mermaids possessed obviously did not extend to human legs; even if it did, there was little to be done about it here on the beach.

Which meant Makoto had to say goodbye far sooner than he'd planned.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Makoto gestured to the sheet he'd used to conceal Haruka during the trip from the house. Haruka understood immediately and gave a concise nod before he crawled a bit further up the sand to reach the sheet. In the moonlight his entire body appeared silver, with the exception of his dark hair. Makoto wondered about his and the other merman's relationship. Before their little scuffle, before Makoto even realized the newcomer was another of Haruka's kind, Haruka had been happy.

Haruka held the sheet out to him, and Makoto took it thankfully. He could feel the red-haired merman's eyes boring into him as he carefully wrapped his leg. Glancing up revealed a ferociously sour expression directed his way. Makoto flinched. The redhead's arms were crossed over his chest, and he kept making Haruka's calling sound. Haruka steadfastly ignored him, petting Makoto's feet reassuringly.

"Leg," he murmured apologetically.

Makoto smiled ruefully. They barely knew each other despite what they'd done together, but he really would miss Haruka. "My leg will be fine," he assured, mussing Haruka's hair. The merman clicked indignantly and shot Makoto a disapproving look. "Once I get home I'll bandage it properly. Soon it'll be good as new."

"Good... as new," Haruka sounded out.

"It means I'll get better." Finished tying the sheet in place, Makoto took one of Haruka's hands, marveling again at the coolness of his skin. So badly he wanted to take Haruka with him, but a cramped apartment bathtub was no place for such an elegant creature. Haruka deserved his freedom, and Makoto cared enough for him to not wish to see him trapped. "Haruka..."

Haruka pressed his free hand to Makoto's heart. Makoto mirrored the action and smiled as Haruka leaned in to kiss him.

Makoto heard a loud splash. One glance proved the red-haired merman had vanished.

"As new," Haruka said again, once they parted. He frowned, seeming to search for the right words. When he lifted his gaze, his blue eyes were bright, determined. "Make… better."

Makoto nodded. "I'll make it better, don't worry."

Haruka shook his head. "Haruka-" he pointed to himself – "make better."

Not for the first time in the merman's presence, Makoto was rendered speechless. Haruka wrapped his hands around the sheet encasing Makoto's leg, intentionally applying pressure to the injury. Air hissed through Makoto's clenched teeth, and he gripped the material of his soaked khaki shorts tightly. "Haruka, stop. That—" He wheezed as Haruka pressed harder. "That hurts!"

Haruka did not listen – didn't appear to have even heard the request. His lips moved but no words came out, and his eyes exhibited a luminescence unlike the typical sparkle of intrigue Makoto had grown accustomed to. The whites of his eyes actually _glowed_, pupils swallowing the blue iris.

A pang of fear held Makoto's heart in an icy grip. The water around their bodies grew hot, bubbling at the surface but not quite scalding to the touch. Even still the sight was enough to panic Makoto, who pleaded once more for Haruka to stop. He insisted he could bandage the wound just fine on his own, and again Haruka disregarded him, as he was prone to when he had an idea in mind. In the end there was little Makoto could do besides bite his lip and endure the uncomfortable sensation of pins-and-needles spreading through his body.

Pain knifed through his leg, centralizing in the wound. It was worse than the bite – far, far worse. As if a dagger was slowly cutting circles into flesh, digging through the muscle and dragging upward at a torturously slow pace. Makoto curled in on himself, tasting salt as he parted his lips in a silent scream. Right as his vision began to swim and he teetered just on the edge of passing out, Haruka released him. The stirring in the water around them came to a sudden stop, and the white-hot pain ebbed.

When Haruka raised his eyes, the blue irises were back to normal. He offered a tiny smile. "Better."

True to his word, Makoto's leg indeed felt better. Peeling the bed sheet away revealed his perfectly unscathed leg, with not a hint of the bite remaining. Makoto bent the knee, touching his skin in amazement, unable to quite wrap his mind around what just occurred.

A series of clicks issued from Haruka as the merman nuzzled Makoto's knee, and the missing puzzle piece snapped into place.

"That blood on the rock..." There'd been so much blood that night when he found Haruka, but he'd never found an injury on the merman's body. Makoto stared incredulously, awed by this new revelation. "You healed yourself, didn't you?" That was the only explanation. Thrumming with excitement, Makoto threw his arms around the merman. "You're amazing, Haruka! That's really incredible! Can you all do that?"

Haruka tipped his had to the side. "Better," he said. Makoto laughed and held him tighter. After a moment, Haruka timidly returned the embrace.

Noticing movement in his peripheral vision, Makoto directed his attention back over the waves. The red-haired merman was closer now but still maintained a safe distance, his narrow eyes studying Makoto distrustfully.

"Rin," Haruka said, and then whistled the single high note that must have been the other merman's identification sound.

Rin stiffened, slightly cowed by the accusatory glare Haruka sent him. Makoto could only assume Haruka had some kind of authority over him, but there really was no way for him to know for sure. Just another mystery. Whatever the reason, Rin kept his animosity to himself as he sidled up next to Haruka.

_"Makoto bi llo ffha."_ Haruka took Makoto's hand and one of Rin's hands. _"Rin bi llo ffha." _Rin nodded begrudgingly and Haruka turned expectantly to Makoto, who could only assume he'd missed something.

An unpleasant bitterness curdled his insides, which Makoto desperately willed away. Really, this shouldn't have surprised him. Haruka wasn't like him. Humans were one of the few species that mated for life, and considering the climbing divorce rate even that seldom worked out. Still, some naïve part of him clung to the notion that what he'd shared with Haruka had been significant to both of them – and not just because it shouldn't have been possible.

Somewhat disillusioned, Makoto pulled back and sighed quietly. He supposed it didn't matter anyways. After he said goodbye, he was likely never to see the merman again. If nothing else, Rin seemed intent on getting Haruka to leave; Makoto was sure he would be equally focused on ensuring Haruka never returned. He didn't strike Makoto as particularly jealous, just overprotective. Trusting humans obviously did not come naturally to them, and why should it? Humans had a nasty, parasitic habit of taking things that did not belong to them.

As if sensing his change in mood, Haruka closed in next to him, clicking rapidly.

Makoto smiled, but it did not quite reach his eyes. "There're so many things I wish I could ask you still."

Even if there were time, though, Makoto did not think he would ever receive the answers. He cupped Haruka's cheek, caressing the smooth pearlescent skin under his eye, passing his thumb over full lips. Haruka rested his webbed hands on Makoto's knees and leaned into his touch.

"Haruka, I—"

Rin scoffed. "_Haru_. He likes Haru."

Makoto balked, completely taken off guard by both the rough voice and the nearly flawless Japanese that came out of Rin's mouth. "W-what – you... how can you speak so well?"

Those sharp teeth flashed in a haughty grin. "I am _Kallotom_. Hunter. It's my duty to travel close to the surface. I know many languages."

Makoto resisted the urge to pinch himself. As surreal as his time with Haruka had been, this was even stranger. "So then Haruka – Haru... is he a hunter too?"

Rin pulled a face that easily conveyed how ignorant he believed humans. He slid one of his muscular arms around Haruka and began to trace deliberate, invisible patterns on his skin, and Haruka's eyes lidded sensually. "Haru is _Sessmalla_." Rin paused, then waved his free hand dismissively. "Your coarse tongue has no word for this. But he should never have been in this shallow of water."

At this, whatever spell Rin had been weaving broke and Haruka went off on a tirade of irate whistles and clicks. Rin argued back with him, and Makoto sensed a very long history between the two. When Haruka took their hands before, he seemed to be claiming them both. The burning question that ravaged him earlier surfaced again: was Rin Haruka's mate? It made sense, and certainly accounted for both Rin's aggressive behavior earlier and loath passivity now.

"Is Haru your lover?" Makoto tried to remember the words Haruka used. "Y-yofah?" Unexpectedly, Rin burst out laughing. Haruka's eyebrows furrowed in bewilderment. Flushing, Makoto scratched the back of his neck. "Um... I mean, your mate?"

When Rin calmed down enough to answer, he said again, "Haru is _Sessmalla," _as if that explained everything. "He can mate with whomever he wants and claim whomever he desires as _lli ffha_." Makoto did not miss the snide undertone of his voice as Rin stressed the last two words. Rin tilted his head thoughtfully and dragged his eyes down the length of Makoto's body. "You're his only human."

Not his only lover, though. To cover the piddling stab of envy, Makoto attempted a joke. "I guess that makes me special?"

Rin didn't share his amusement. Haruka was obviously someone of importance among his kind. "Haru wasn't in his right mind when he came here. He can't return."

Haruka screeched defiantly, but the tactic did not intimidate Rin this time around. He bared his teeth at the smaller merman, clicking in reprimand, and like an admonished child Haruka curled his arms around Makoto and looked stubbornly to the side.

Makoto placed a comforting hand atop his head, combing lightly through the dark strands. "I know," he told Rin, earning surprised looks from both mermen. Makoto stared down at the bloody mark left on the sheet from Rin's bite. "I knew the moment I found him I wouldn't be able to keep him. That's why I brought him back here."

For a moment Rin didn't say anything. Apparently, and understandably, he'd been expecting more resistance. Most humans who happened upon a supposedly mythological species would not let evidence of their discovery slip away so easily. Makoto considered himself fortunate enough to merely have met Haruka; it was more than he ever could have asked for to have been intimate with him, and learn a bit about him in the process. He could never share that information with anyone, but he could at least carry it with him.

"I know I shouldn't have brought him back at all. But I thought he'd been hurt, and I—I couldn't just leave him there. And then..." Makoto's voice trailed off helplessly, hands stilling in Haruka's hair. When Haruka turned his eyes upward, Makoto's heart leapt into his throat.

_And then you looked at me with those eyes..._

Rin smirked at Haru. "_Sessmalla_ have that effect."

There'd been no way of denying Haruka. As much as Makoto piqued the merman's curiosity, Haruka captivated Makoto, because of his beauty and because he was so extraordinary, and because Makoto knew he would never see anything like him again as long as he lived. And even more than that, there was something enthralling about his very spirit that drew Makoto in without even trying.

"Well, I can't take it back now. And I wouldn't anyways."

Rin's expression changed – just a slight softening around the eyes and corners of the mouth, which he covered up with a loud huff, but not before Makoto noticed. He had the distinct feeling Rin was a lot more compassionate than his rugged exterior implied.

"You should go," Makoto sat at last, nodding toward the docks. Fishermen began their days early, most boats leaving the harbor even before the sun rose.

Rin followed his gaze. When he turned back to Makoto, his features were slightly more amiable. Makoto smiled at him and extended a hand. Unlike with Haruka, the meaning of the gesture was not lost on him. As he shook Makoto's hand, Makoto wondered where he had traveled and what he had witnessed to be able to pick up on it. After his friendly acknowledgement, Rin swan further out, allowing Makoto and Haruka a moment's privacy for their goodbyes.

Makoto was thankful. There were not many heartfelt words he and Haruka could exchange that the other could fully understand, but what Makoto felt could be expressed without words. He pulled Haruka to him, as if he could burn each subtle curve of the cool, silver body into his memory through touch alone.

Haruka nicked his bottom lip and licked into Makoto's mouth, as he had done the first time they kissed in the bath. The coppery tang of blood filled Makoto's senses, but it was not unpleasant. As with everything Haruka did, Makoto was sure the action had some sort of meaning, and so, desperate to fulfill whatever sort of blood pact this was, Makoto snagged his own lip on one of Haruka's sharp teeth and did the same. He coated the inside of Haruka's mouth with the blood that beaded on his lips, and when they parted, breaths mingling, he promised, "I_ will_ see you again."

Makoto did not want to let go, but Haruka eventually slipped from his arms. The merman made no promises of his own, but his oceanic eyes glimmered in a way Makoto had yet to see. Haruka touched just under his eye, and a small, perfect orb of water balanced on the tip of his silver finger when he pulled it away. Curious, Makoto watched with rapt attention as Haruka used his other hand to pluck a lavender scale from his tail. When Haruka dipped his finger to the water, the tear solidified, trapping the scale within.

A process that should naturally have taken years happened instantaneously before his eyes, and Makoto could only gawk as Haruka passed the newly formed stone into his hands.

"_Peshjiuun llo bi lle ffha," _Haruka whispered. He picked up Makoto's hand and pressed it, along with the stone, to his belly. Makoto's lips parted but he could not form words. His fingers twitched instinctively against the moonlit skin. _"Peshjiuun lle bi llo ffha."_

The implication was undoubtedly clear: a part of each of them would go with the other. Even while the ocean separated them, they would never truly be apart.

And if they were connected in this way, perhaps somehow they could find a way to be together again.

As Makoto watched the sun rise in the distance, the shimmering of Haruka's body long since vanished into the endless blue, he held tight to the parting gift lovingly entrusted to him and again recited his vow.

_I'll see you again, Haruka._

* * *

**Lawli:** So I wanted to add Rin to this story ever since I decided I would be continue it, because who doesn't love that tsundere sharkboy? I apologize if he seems way out of character by speaking so formally and all, but his circumstances here are totally different than they are in canon, and while he knows a lot of languages he hasn't quite grasped slang, so he wouldn't be all "yo, man." But of course his and Haru's constant rivalry and bickering lives on no matter what universe they're in.

Ok so here are some points/questions you may have that I've again tried my best to explain. If there's anything else you're dying to know, fire away!

1.) It's mermaid language time!

Llo (YOH): I/my/me  
Lle (YEH): you/your  
Bi (BEE): is/am/are/was

Llo ffha (YOH-fah): mine (belonging to me)  
Lle ffha (YEH-fah): yours (belonging to you)  
Lli ffha (YEE-fah): his/hers (belonging to him/her)

Peshjiuun llo bi lle ffha (pesh-GEE-un yoh bee yeh-fah): a piece of me is yours  
Peshjiuun lle bi llo ffha ((pesh-GEE-un yeh bee yoh-fah): a piece of you is mine

Sessmalla (SESS-mah-yah): chosen of mermaids (reserved for third gender only)  
Kallotom (KAYO-tome): hunter/warrior, often travels close to the surface in search for food and to ensure an area is clear of predators  
Sessa (SESS-ah): an average mermaid/merman

2.) The mer hierarchy

Sessmalla or Sesshulla Kallotom Sessa

Sessmalla are like the queen bee. They're the top of the food chain of their kind, and are the closest thing the mer have to 'royalty' because they are so rare. Among their kind they are considered precious. As mentioned in 'If Only', the Sessmalla can change from male to female, are known to be healthier, and their pregnancies have higher chance of reaching full term. But the Sessmalla don't just mate with everyone in their pod because they can; they're known for being very selective, and I imagine Haruka as even more selective than most. When they are with child, like any mermaid, they are extremely vulnerable to predators and are usually under the guard of a Kallotom. A mermaid or merman who mates with a Sessmalla usually does not take another partner.

Sesshulla (SESS-hoo-yah) would be the mer in charge if there is no Sessmalla to lead the pod. Typically the Sesshulla is the strongest female in the pod. In Haruka's pod, since he is Sessmalla, there is no Sesshulla.

Kallotom are the hunters and warriors of the mer. They are in charge of both ensuring the safety of the pod and leading the pod to food.

Sessa is the average mermaid or merman in the pod.

3.) So is Rin Haru's mate?  
I didn't really add more than a RinHaru implication to this story since this is about Makoto's encounter with Haruka, but yes. Rin is one of Haruka's mates.

4.) Haruka's healing abilities

All Sessa have the ability to heal very quickly. The Sessmalla are gifted beyond even the normal standards, because they can heal others.

I knew Haruka was going to have the ability to heal wounds since Makoto mentioned seeing blood on the rocks. As for what kind of injury he had... that's still a secret. ;)

5.) Will the story continue from here?  
Errr, maybe. I planned this as a 3-shot but I've kinda fallen in love with the merlore behind it! So I may continue it. I have a small plot bunny for a short chaptered fic that would take place after the events of this one. But I would TOTALLY be open to suggestions, either for that chaptered fic or for any other shorts that take place in this universe (like looking at what things are like in the sessa world, or in Haru's pod or whatever). If you have a suggestion, leave it as a comment or send me a message on tumblr (un-bacio-dolce . tumblr . com)!


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